WWE Network

The SmarK Rant for “A Future WWE: The FCW Story”

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The SmarK Rant for A Future WWE: The FCW Story

Hi from the past!  I’m putting a few shows “in the can” for later posting when I need content, and this is one of them.  So if you’re reading this after the coronavirus has wiped out the human race, hopefully it won’t affect my ad revenue too badly.  I am enjoying reviewing these documentary shows, I will say, because it’s much less stressful than trying to type up match recaps as they happen and editing in jokes on the fly.

Read moreThe SmarK Rant for “A Future WWE: The FCW Story”

The SmarK Rant for RUTHLESS AGGRESSION – Episode 5

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The SmarK Rant for Ruthless Aggression – Episode 5

“Civil War: Raw vs. Smackdown”

Oh man, time for the real dirt in this series!  The untold hatred between the brands!

Read moreThe SmarK Rant for RUTHLESS AGGRESSION – Episode 5

The SmarK Rant for RUTHLESS AGGRESSION – Season 1, Episode 3

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The SmarK Rant for RUTHLESS AGGRESSION Season 1, Episode 3

“Evolution”

https://watch.wwe.com/episode/Evolution-130826

Oh hey we’ve gone two episodes without putting over HHH.  Better change that.

Read moreThe SmarK Rant for RUTHLESS AGGRESSION – Season 1, Episode 3

The SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems – AWA/NWA Nite of Champions II 12.29.85

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The SmarK Rant for NWA/AWA Nite of Champions II – 12.29.85

I actually keep finding random stuff on the Hidden Gems section of the Network that I’ve never watched before and I just go “WTF? Where did this come from?” This is another one of those things.

Taped from the Meadowlands in New Jersey, apparently drawing 12,000 people.

Read moreThe SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems – AWA/NWA Nite of Champions II 12.29.85

The SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems – NWA Boogie Jam 84

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The SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems – NWA Boogie Jam 84 (03.17.84)

I totally forgot that this one got added as a Hidden Gem show a while back, mostly because the interface is such dogshit now that I can barely find anything unless I know exactly where I’m supposed to be looking.  And since Clash VI is apparently hacked to pieces on the Network anyway, we’ll go with this one as our second version of the Flair v. Steamboat celebration this weekend.

https://watch.wwe.com/program/Boogie-Jam-1984-103634

Read moreThe SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems – NWA Boogie Jam 84

The SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems – AWA Christmas Night 1986 12.25.86

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The SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems – AWA Brawl in St. Paul 12.25.86

Well, Hidden Gems might be gone now, but I’ve still got some left on the Network that I never had a chance to finish up.  And this is one that’s pretty appropriate for the season – The AWA Christmas night show in 1986, featuring the Rockers against Rose & Somers in a legendary cage match!

Taped from St. Paul, MN

Your hosts are Rod Trongard & Dick Jonkowski

Read moreThe SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems – AWA Christmas Night 1986 12.25.86

Tables Ladders And Chairs 2019

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Tables Ladders And Chairs 2019
Date: December 15, 2019
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Vic Joseph, Samoa Joe, Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’ll wrap up the decade with this one as the show doesn’t exactly feel all that important. Unless one is added later, there are no singles titles on the line tonight. I’m not sure how long it has been since that was the case but it isn’t likely to be any recent time. This isn’t the best time for WWE as they are going to be going slowly until the Rumble build starts around the beginning of the year, so hope for the best here. Let’s get to it.

Read moreTables Ladders And Chairs 2019

The SmarK Rant for WWE Starrcade 2019 – 12.01.19

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The SmarK Rant for WWE Starrcade 2019 – 12.01.19

So the episode’s description reads:  “Catch all your favorite Superstars competing at WWE Starrcade, a special event where both the Raw and SmackDown brands collide.”  Good thing we had that draft and PPV last week where all the brands collide for the one and only time of the year!

Live from Atlanta, GA

Your hosts are Tom Phillips & Byron Saxton

Read moreThe SmarK Rant for WWE Starrcade 2019 – 12.01.19

Starrcade 2019

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Starrcade 2019
Date: December 1, 2019
Location: Infinite Energy Arena, Duluth, Georgia
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

I mean, it has been a whole week since their last big event. This is another one of those house shows that is airing on the Network in a shortened form. It isn’t exactly something interesting though last year’s show was pretty good. The two matches announced aren’t exactly breaking new ground but they could be good. Let’s get to it.

Read moreStarrcade 2019

The SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems–Survivor Series Showdown 1992

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The SmarK Rant for WWF Survivor Series Showdown 1992 – 11.22.92

Wish this had been on the Network when I was doing these episodes of Superstars.

Taped from Springfield, in whatever state Springfield is in.

Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon & Bobby Heenan

Read moreThe SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems–Survivor Series Showdown 1992

The SmarK Rant for WWF Sunday Night Slam–11.20.94

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The SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems – WWF Sunday Night Slam 11.20.94

Yes, it’s another USA Network special, this one building to Survivor Series 1994. And although they are traditionally two hours long, by this point the format was getting long in the tooth and so now it’s down to an hour.

Read moreThe SmarK Rant for WWF Sunday Night Slam–11.20.94

The SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems–After the Last Battle of Atlanta (11.06.83)

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The SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems – After the Last Battle of Atlanta! (11.06.83)

So they’ve found ANOTHER Omni show from Georgia Championship Wrestling, this one after the famous Rich-Sawyer Last Battle of Atlanta show and just before Starrcade ’83.

Read moreThe SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems–After the Last Battle of Atlanta (11.06.83)

The SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems–Great American Bash 88 (Greensboro)

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The SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems – NWA Great American Bash 1988 (Greensboro 07.16.88)

This is yet another show where the WarGames main event was thought to be lost back in the day, and then they released a WarGames DVD set and suddenly found it. And now they’ve found the entire damn show and put in on the Network. I’ve been meaning to get to this one since it came out last week, but there’s so much great wrestling to watch right now! It’s becoming a real problem for me.

Taped from Greensboro, NC

Read moreThe SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems–Great American Bash 88 (Greensboro)

The SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems–10.17.19

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The SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems – Mid-South in New Orleans, 11.11.85

With the impending dump of Mid-South on the Network this Monday (which means I can pick up where I left off in 1985, yay!) the theme for the Hidden Gems this week is, duh, Mid-South and/or Houston from that time period.

First up, a Mid-South house show from New Orleans!

Read moreThe SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems–10.17.19

The SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems–GCW at the Omni 12.04.83

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The SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems – Georgia Championship Wrestling at the Omni – 12.04.83

(Hey youse guys, you get a second rant this morning because I wrote this on the weekend to have something banked for later.  However, with NWA Powerrr, AEW Dark (yeah I’m gonna review that too, wanna fight about it?), Dynamite and Smackdown all coming up this week, I’m pretty packed for content as it is and I don’t know when this would get posted.  So let’s just post it now! )

Wait, where the hell did THIS come from? I don’t even remember this getting added to the Gems collection but it’s just sitting there now, mocking me for never watching it this whole time.

Read moreThe SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems–GCW at the Omni 12.04.83

The SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems–10.03.19

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The SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems – 10.03.19

I’m back with fresh content after a week of stuff that was a combination of reposts and Observer Flashbacks written two weeks ago. And a very timely set of Hidden Gems we get this week, building up the impending Brock-Kofi match on Smackdown tonight with early dark matches featuring the two of them!

Read moreThe SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems–10.03.19

Review of WWE Untold: That’s Gotta Be Kane! (WWE Network Special)

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A new episode of WWE Untold aired on WWE Network on Sunday night that told the story of Kane’s WWE debut at the Badd Blood 1997 pay-per-view. I am watching on-demand on WWE Network in their “Originals” section.

Here’s the synopsis from WWE Network: “That’s Gotta Be Kane! In Your House: Badd Blood was a pay-per-view that changed WWE forever. Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Kane and more reveal behind-the-scenes stories from that night’s main event: the very first Hell in a Cell Match and the debut of The Big Red Machine, Kane.”

Read moreReview of WWE Untold: That’s Gotta Be Kane! (WWE Network Special)

The SmarK Rant for NWA Great American Bash 86 (Greensboro 07.26.86)

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The SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems – Great American Bash 86 (Greensboro 07.26.86)

Figure I might as well get this second Bash show done so it’s not hanging over me.

For those who don’t know or don’t remember, this show and the previous supercard in Charlotte were both added as Hidden Gems a couple of months back, the full versions of the shows that were edited down to a 2-hour compilation tape called “Great American Bash 86” back in the day.

Taped from Greensboro, NC

Read moreThe SmarK Rant for NWA Great American Bash 86 (Greensboro 07.26.86)

The SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems–The Brawl to End It All!

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The SmarK Rant for The Brawl to End It All – 07.23.84

OH BABY. We’ve been waiting a long time for these shows to drop on the Network! These are the full MSG shows, which were then edited down for the MTV special later on.

First up, a strange bit of history, as I was always told that we got the first ever women’s main event when Charlotte and Sasha did it. And yet, unless I’m dreaming, this show is headlined by a women’s title mach!

Taped from Madison Square Garden

Your hosts are Gene Okerlund & Gorilla Monsoon

Read moreThe SmarK Rant for WWE Network Hidden Gems–The Brawl to End It All!